


Rhythm of Change

by BadPennyGirl



Category: Power Rangers in Space
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ashley is stubborn, Carlos has a Clue, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kerovans are all telepathic, M/M, Oblivious Andros, Telepathic Andros, Telepathic Zhane
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-09-30 18:37:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10169312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadPennyGirl/pseuds/BadPennyGirl
Summary: In which Andros tries to save Ashley, even though she doesn't need it.  And Zhane tries to reconnect with Andros while keeping his best friend's gallantry from getting him killed.Carlos is quietly aware of Zhane's true motivations.  In fact, Carlos sees a lot.  Cassie is wickedly helpful and has good timing.  TJ is just a bit fed up with everyone.  And Ashley learns to let go.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhane would love to figure out what's up with Andros and him. It's possibly all about Ashley and the crush she has on Andros that Zhane very much dislikes. But probably not, since Andros is the Crown Prince of the land of 'Issues'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inside of Zhane's headspace is far deeper than his upbeat exterior might hint at.
> 
> It's pretty angsty. I intended some angst, but Zhane got away from me on this one.

**Prologue:**

 

Zhane sat on the bridge, chewing an apple thoughtfully as he watched Andros plot out sector scans. Behind Andros' sober look, Zhane detected an odd sort of contentment. His friend was obviously very happy Zhane was awake and healed. But he could feel a distance, a thin wall between them that Zhane was struggling to understand. And he was going to tear it down, brick by brick if it took the rest of this stupid war.

He wasn't naïve. Given a chance to wrap his mind around the time that had passed, Zhane hadn't expected things would immediately go right back to how they were before. He'd essentially fallen in battle. That he hadn't actually died had been mere semantics for two whole years, during which time the war and Andros had gone on without him.  Two years!  A lifetime to a Ranger in the middle of conflict, and Andros had literally grown up while Zhane collected dust.   
  
He still had trouble grasping that. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd woken, his memories full of facing off against Ecliptor's invasion forces alongside a very adolescent Andros.  If it was hard to comprehend the distance of time he'd been in cryo, it was impossible to take in the mountain of solitude and struggle those two years must have been for Andros. Two years of Andros growing more isolated, stubborn, ( _taller and more beautiful_ ).  Two years of grieving while stumbling through adolescence amid a conflict he'd essentially been left to fight alone.  Joy at their reunion aside, was it any surprise there was a distance between them? 

Though, Zhane had to admit with a fond smile, Andros was still essentially himself.  For all the changes two years alone had forced on his friend, his face still reflected everything Andros' quick mind rarely delivered to his mouth.  Andros was still courageous in a way that bordered on recklessness.  And the one thing Zhane hoped had changed was knit into Andros' bones.  His friend still ached for Karone like a missing limb. 

Even so, there was no denying they needed to reconnect.  And until they did, Zhane would continue to sense the awkward _something_ that stood between them.  He'd immediately tried dragging Andros out for some down time, just the two of them.  It would have been good for Andros to relearn how to relax, and Zhane could have gradually taken in all he'd missed.   But that was doomed from the start because apparently in the two years he'd been on ice the galaxy had decided to add Astronema and her over-the-top ambition to the constant threats they had to deal with.

He'd tried talking to Andros on the ship one night shortly after he woke, when it was first apparent it was more than just shock for both of them.  Andros denied there was a problem between them, all the while refusing to quite meet Zhane's eye.  And before Zhane could dig through that utter load of Grundershit, the Yellow Ranger had sauntered up, insinuated herself between them, and that was the end of that.

Which reminded him, as he watched Andros quietly convert the sector scans to navigational input...  Zhane could objectively admit that Andros had grown from a gangly, if incredibly skilled sixteen year old to a damn attractive adult.  And he wondered if the unnamed distance didn't have something to do with Ashley noticing the same thing.  She was obviously intent on a romance with Andros.  _Very_ obviously.  No surprise why.  And Andros felt strongly about the Yellow Ranger too.  Though whether Andros had romantic feelings was hard for Zhane to tell.   Which stung, because it was just more evidence of the breech between them.  _Before_ , he'd been able to feel Andros clearly.  Now it was just shadows of mood and emotion.   
  
He was trying not to lump it all into one big ball of childish resentment.  While Zhane wasn't dishonest or deluded enough to think _all_ his objections were without self-interest, he also had concrete reasons for worrying about a romance between Ashley and Andros.  It didn't help matters that the other Rangers seemed excited about the possibility.  Especially Cassie.  Zhane thought they were a good bunch, easy going, friendly, and brave.  And to their credit, it was clear that the other Rangers cared about Andros--which went a long way in Zhane's book.  So he could appreciate how they might _think_ Ashley was the perfect counterpart to Andros. 

If tales of sunny princesses rescuing somber princes from their lonely life of questing were your preferred story.  Zhane resisted the urge to snort.

Speaking of sunny princesses… From over his crossed boots, kicked up on the bow of the helm ( _where he knew they were making Andros' eye twitch_ ), Zhane observed Ashley stepping onto the bridge.  She smiled and called out to both of them. Andros looked up from Nav Control and Zhane suspected from the dulled wash of conflicted emotions that washed over him that if his best friend had been prone to actually using words, it would have been earnest, stumbling, sweet and very painfully awkward to witness.  But as usual, all the exterior indication Andros gave was a twitch of a smile and a stilted nod that Ashley must have been used to, because she came right up and took Andros by the arm, unfazed by what might be taken as a cool reception from anyone else.

Zhane nearly hurt himself managing not to roll his eyes.

He greeted Ashley warmly but made out as though he were busy reading his data-pad while he watched them discreetly.  Zhane had been catching up on Earth culture over the last week.  Currently his data pad was full with info about an ancient Earth poet named William something-or-other, who had a huge influence on the development of modern Earth traditions.  Apparently, the poet's works illustrated something Earthers absolutely shared in common with Kerovans; star-crossed disasters of romance.  It was weirdly the sort of thing he thought might have appealed to Andros.  
  
Glancing sideways at D.E.C.A.'s security camera, he wondered if the Megaship’s AI shared his misgivings.  Probably not.  D.E.C.A. was as blind to the undercurrent of emotion her Captain was struggling with as the human hanging off him was.  Andros was throwing off a whole cocktail of mixed feelings, all of which amounted to him being a bit overwhelmed, if pleased.  Another reminder that a romance between them wasn't a great idea.  From what Zhane could tell, ( _and he'd definitely been looking into it_ ) Earthers were head-blind, and Ashley was no exception.  How did she think she was going to form a proper bond with a Kerovan if she couldn't feel him? 

Alright, that wasn't fair. Head-blind was a slur, of sorts. Which was beneath him as a Ranger and Andros would have kicked his ass, right after giving Zhane the _'really disappointed'_ frown.  And it wasn’t that Zhane thought less of Planetary Rangers, or Earth humans in specific, simply because they hadn’t evolved to have psi-abilities.  ( _He'd initially tutored Ashley just to test out that theory_.) But there was a reason psi-adept humans tended not to bond well with races that weren't.  Telepathic races tended to form mutually beneficial psychic connections with lovers and family, and Kerovans were no exception.  Ashley could never do that for Andros.  Odds were, she didn't even realize that challenge lay ahead and that wasn't fair to either her or Andros.

As Zhane watched Andros patiently explain the Nav System, probably not for the first time, his thoughts wondered around to the realization that there was likely a whole lot more Ashley and the others didn't know.  And that being the case, Ashley didn't really have a crush on Andros.  She had a crush on who she _thought_ Andros was.  If Zhane knew his taciturn friend, Andros still held onto private details like they were closely guarded System State secrets.   The Earth Rangers had even stumbled on Zhane's cryo chamber accidentally!  And from what he'd been told, even then they'd practically had to tear an explanation out of Andros.  Ashley probably had almost no idea about Kerovan culture, or Andros' life on KO-35.  No idea about their culture, or Andros' significant past.  Maybe no knowledge of even Karone.   
  
Earth humans apparently called it _'baggage'_ and Zhane thought the term fit.  Karone's tragic loss aside; the loss of Andros' parents during the conflicts hadn't done him any favors either. The Astro Rangers of the Kerovan System had taken Andros on when he was too young, out of necessity.  He had no one else and the Red Morpher had remained unclaimed until Andros came to them.  Zordon had warned that the Morphers were pretty picky in terms of who they were compatible with.   And the Red Morpher, like the Silver one, was even more particular.  When Andros had been found to be compatible, his youth wasn't really something they could afford to worry about.  So the rest of the team, Zhane included, had done their best.  The _bond_ of family hadn't taken long.  Fighting side by side did that.  It was just another injustice of the conflict that Andros and Zhane lost the rest of the Astro Rangers fighting what was beginning to feel like an endless battle.   They had both still been dealing with that loss, that painful vacancy of it, when Zhane was put in cryo-sleep.  Zhane contemplated the obvious effects of Andros' two years alone, on top of all that, and decided that ultimately, a psi-null from another star system wasn't equipped to relate.

Though if any of the other Astro Rangers realized this, they didn't show it.  Well, maybe Carlos.  Zhane was betting Carlos saw a lot more than he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get no canon age for Andros. So I had to pick his age in this verse. 
> 
> We can presume, since the kids have classes they attend, that the characters from Earth are high school age, as per standard Power Ranger setup. I figured I'd make them Seniors so I could sensibly go with them all being 18. And I assume the show creators intended Andros to be that age as well. Which put me in an awkward spot because if Andros is 18 now, he was 16 when Zhane fell in battle on KO-35. Which blew me away, largely because canon established that Andros had been an experienced Ranger, defending all the worlds in his star system, at that point. So that meant Andros was a baby space soldier of 16 when he lost the only other Ranger we ever see from KO-35! I could have fixed this issue by simply having Andros be much older a Ranger than the Earth Rangers. But, Zordon does have a habit of choosing teenagers. And there have been even younger Power Rangers before. So... I went with Andros being 18 in the show and 16 in the flashback to Zhane's original fall.
> 
> That left me with some interesting additional depth to the reality of Zhane being in cryo for 2 years. Between 16 and 18 a young man changes a lot emotionally and physically, and that's one helluva time to be alone, ostensibly fighting a guerrilla war in space, all by yourself. We see him in disguise at the beginning of the show, infiltrating the villains. That's heavy duty stuff. If reason follows, I had to think that Zhane would have woken to an Andros that seemed quite different in some ways to the one he knew when he'd been injured and put in Cryo. And I always felt the show undersold that. Which of course was necessary, for obvious reasons. Power Rangers in Space already had loads of angst for a kid's story. That would probably have put it over the top for its intended audience. 
> 
> Anyway... On to other notes, this story is chocked full of long winded internalizations. It sort of just happened that way. Mea Culpa. That's what I get for working mostly from one character's POV and tackling a kid's show as though it were an adult drama. 
> 
> The world in which the story occurs IS show verse in some ways and utterly not in others. So while I haven't tagged it as an Alternate Universe, that's mere whim on my part. It probably should be, for all the following reasons:
> 
> Rather than there having only been a Red and Silver Kerovan Astro Ranger prior to Andros meeting the Earth gang--Andros and Zhane were the last two survivors of an original full Corps. That simply made more sense to me. Unfortunately, that only added to the angst that kept creeping in. But I just couldn't imagine that among all the people in the Kerovan system, there wasn't anyone suited to accept the other Morphers, leaving Andros and Zhane to fight alone. That made absolutely no sense to me, though I do get that it being a kids show, they couldn't very well just declare that the other Rangers had died in battle in a very grim backstory. However, that's the great thing about fanfiction we can play with more grown up themes if we want.
> 
> This story also presupposes that all Kerovan humans are at least somewhat telepathic between individuals that have grown very close. I don’t think that’s too much of a leap considering we know from canon that Andros and Zhane can sense each other, as well as Andros and his sister. Add in the telekinesis and Andros' anecdote that it can be learned by any human (Andros is possibly basing this on Kerovan humans, not Earth humans) and it seems like a fair leap to explore those abilities further.
> 
> As for the pairing tags, my version of Zhane never develops a crush on Astronema. He is also a bit of an ass at times regarding Earthlings. I try to keep him in character, but in order to transition the story to Zhane/Andros from the traditional pairings, I decided to give some depth to Zhane's attitudes just a touch. Hopefully he’s relatable anyway. I personally prefer it when good characters have the odd personality wart and/or deeper things happening under their smiles. 
> 
> I also created a pile of verse-facts that smoothed cannon out for me, as I wrote. It helped make the universe feel more rounded to me. But it also arguably got a bit out of hand. We didn't have a lot to work with in the way of Andros' past. Some stuff was very filled in around his sister. Other stuff was glaringly absent, like his parents. And so I built a little (read a lot). 
> 
> Thanks for reading. I like concrit. I like compliments. I like all sorts of feedback except pointless complaining about pairings and the like. So please feel free to comment!


	2. Andros is an Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks later and Zhane gets a ringside seat to Andros' brand of gallantry and considers it a complete disaster. He's not alone.

**Chapter 1:**

Battle made Zhane a multitasker. His thoughts clarified and his mind sharpened, leaving room for the weirdest tangents. He did some of his best thinking while kicking around his enemies. While keeping an eye out for Andros, of course. And amid beating back half a dozen Quantrons equipped with some kind of powerful new canon rifle with ancillary blade, Zhane took a look around the battlefield at the other Rangers holding their own and felt a wash of pride. He suddenly realized he could see how the other Rangers had gotten past Andros' antisocial tendencies so quickly.

As digressions went, this was a strange one to have in the heat of battle, even for him. But the thought stuck, while he was decapitating another Quantron, that he was grateful the rest of the Astro Rangers were both very...good. By now, Zhane had a sense of each of them. They innately understood that Ranger morale hinged on trust and friendship and it was easy to care about them in return. Andros had needed that. He'd needed someone to fight at his side when Zhane couldn't.

Now that Zhane was more settled after waking up, he could admit that he found it nice having a full compliment of Rangers too. Especially since in the wake of their success on KO-35 and abroad in the System, Ecliptor and their primary pain in the ass, Astronema, were wreaking literal havoc.

He caught sight of the flow of the overall battle as he ducked under a blade swipe. The other Rangers were, like him, starting to cut through the greater numbers. And of course, Andros had fought his way to Ashley's side. Zhane vented his annoyance on two more cyborgs, just for spite. "You'd think that since your bosses gave you the nasty weapons upgrades and you're showing up all over the Sector, that they'd have more to do than trade moon-eyes at each other!" he kicked a Quantron square in the gut and it flew a satisfying 30 or more feet.

In all fairness, there weren't actually any mutual love-struck stares or even that much concrete evidence of progress toward them being a couple.  Just that annoying itch of ' _them-ness_ " that had the others sharing knowing looks and Zhane wanting to spend the whole day destroying Craterites.  

A flash of something not quite a premonitory left the hair on Zhane's neck standing up. He kicked his way clear of the last two Quantrons, shattering their chestplates just in time to look for Andros and spot the idiot shouldering aside the Yellow Ranger; stupidly, _unnecessarily_ blocking a close range laser blast that Ashley could have easily just dodged.  The force of the shot staggered Andros back into the Black Ranger, knocking them both to the ground at the base of an outcropping of tall red rock. The Yellow Ranger easily dodged the next shot before the Blue Ranger came in from behind with a finishing blow. 

_Of all the stupid…_

Zhane quickly finished off his last opponents and trotted over to where the others were gathered, as the last of the Quantrons disappeared in retreat. He leaned casually against the ledge of rock, released his helmet and plastered a cocky grin over the irritation brewing just under his skin.

Maybe it was the giant Drakkorian sun burning overhead, because it was brutally HOT. Or it just might have been that Zhane was sick of the busywork Astronema had been throwing their way, like some weird test. Most likely though, he was simply sick of Andros being needlessly careless with his own safety. What they did was already dangerous enough.

Instead of saying anything though, Zhane just arched a bemused brow at his friend. Who was still sitting in the dirt. Andros never just _sat_ there. If Zhane read his friend right, (and he always _did_ ) the slight stiffness to Andros’ breathing meant their Red was injured.

This was getting ridiculous. The Earth Rangers weren't raw; brand new to the fight. They held their own and there was no real reason for Andros to have jumped in to take that blow. The Yellow Ranger knew when to dodge, how to block and when to run. And part of being a leader meant trusting your fellow Rangers to get the job done.

Andros finally made his way to his feet, kindly shrugging off Carlos’ help (and Zhane was impressed that Andros had apparently learned to refuse assistance gracefully.) And then Andros spoiled it by heading straight to the Yellow Ranger’s side, like a puppy.

Zhane huffed in exasperation, not missing Andros' aborted cradling of ribs. Yep. The idiot was definitely injured.

"Are you alright, Andros?" Ashley wasn't unduly solicitous, but it still annoyed Zhane anyway. Especially when she laid her hand on Andros' arm, leaving it there just long enough to seem possessive.

"I'm good," Andros assured her. "Really."

Zhane almost called him on the lie. And the unnecessary stunt. Eighteen going on eight!

TJ was apparently just as aware of the absurdity of the situation as Zhane, pulling his helmet too, and favoring both Ashley and Andros with an equally exasperated look.

Carlos stepped in. "That…that was weirdly random, even for Astronema these days. Or Ecliptor. Whoever. But we've got a reprieve to get out of this heat, whatever reason the Quantrons showed up."

"I second that," Zhane declared a little too forcefully for the casual smile he was trying to hold onto. "We're getting cooked out here. While we cool off, DECA can scan the terrain and see if there's a reason their forces showed up, while Andros has his injuries taken care of."

"I don’t have an…" Andros was mid-protest when Cassie gave his shoulder a friendly clap, surprising them all when it sent Andros to one knee with a grunt of pain."

"Andros!" Three of them yelled it. Only one of them annoyed Zhane by doing so.

To her credit, Cassie pulled off ‘innocently contrite’ pretty well. "Sorry, Andros! I didn’t know you were hurt that badly."

There was no hiding his injury now. Zhane gave Cassie a grateful wink and mouthed ' _thank you_ ' to her before gently nudging Ashley out of the way. He ignored the Yellow Ranger's confused huff as he knelt next to Andros, pulling his friend's arm over his shoulder. It spoke volumes that Andros hadn’t gotten right to his feet, and beneath the irritation, Zhane was concerned. "DECA, two to transport to med-bay."

The moment the teleport deposited them, he helped Andros up onto the nearest bed with more force than strictly necessary and started a scan, pressing the console buttons sharply in disgust.

He frowned at the groan Andros uttered from inside his helmet as he tried to settle into a more comfortable position.

"Serves you right for that stunt," Zhane quipped. Well. That, Zhane had to admit, was too prickly. He'd have to watch that, especially since Andros’ overactive guilt left him unlikely to defend himself. This once though, Zhane excused himself. Because there was no bigger pain in the ass than a self-sacrificing commander, blindly infatuated with a team member. He was grateful there was only one of those. Andros was more than enough to handle. Nowhere in the Silver Ranger service archives had there ever been an instructional on babysitting love-struck senior officers.

Zhane grabbed a blanket, throwing it over Andros' lower half. He snatched his friend's arm with a irritated huff, flipped open the Red Astro-Morpher and typed in the code to de-morph for emergency medical treatment.

For a brief instant, Zhane just stared. The wound was ugly; a wide, inflamed and blistered region across the left quadrant of Andros’ bare chest, radiating unnatural heat. Underneath the burn, heavy bruising had started to darken the skin and muscle.

Andros paled, making a pained face and bit down on his lip, swallowing another groan. Zhane’s irritation spiked. Which meant he wasn’t so much angry as worried. And frustrated. Zhane sighed, taking several deep breaths, letting the emotions clarify into that singular truth, and then disperse before he reached out carefully with his mind. *Hang on a moment and when the scan is done, I’ll have DECA administer something for the pain.*

Andros flinched, looking at Zhane with such open shock it might have been comical under other circumstances. At first he was unsure if he'd hurt Andros accidentally. That's when it hit Zhane that he’d not reached out to Andros’ mind since right after waking, when he'd first found out it had been two years, rather than days or even weeks. No wonder Andros was so shocked.

Reaching out now felt so simple, so automatic that he’d have to figure out later why he’d been holding back. For now it didn't matter. Andros, at least, had reason. There was a cost to long-term isolation for all humans. But for psi-capable races, the consequences were more complex. Andros probably hadn’t reached out because until recently, he’d gotten used to there being no one to reach out to.

Zhane buried the worry that idea inspired. That was something to address later, when Andros wasn't injured. He ignored his friend's surprise, laying a gentle hand to Andros' brow. *Look, you idiot,* He threw every ounce of exasperated affection he could into the thoughts. *I can’t remember if I ever said I was sorry for leaving you alone for so long. But I am.*

Andros’ blushed then, which would have been charming any other time. At the moment, it only served to accentuate how pale Andros had grown. Still, it made Zhane instantly nostalgic.

 _*I…I.*_ Andros paused, closed his eyes and visibly struggled to focus. _*You’re the one owed the apology. I never should have allowed you to get hurt*_

Andros' thoughts had an edge to them, hard and uncomfortable. Zhane wasn’t sure if it was pain, guilt or rusty telepathy skills. Maybe all of the above. But it brought into sharp focus that Zhane had handled the weeks since coming out of cryo badly. *Hey brat... You didn't ALLOW me to get hurt. I knew what I was doing that day. Besides, You apologized right after I woke. And I'll repeat what I said then. There’s nothing to forgive.*

Andros looked about to object, but right then the terminal beeped an alert, letting Zhane know the scan was done. He held up a hand to forestall Andros as he took up a nearby data pad, importing the results. "Congrats," Zhane quipped as he read through the diagnosis. "A damn large, second degree laser burn, _through_ the Ranger armor, I might add. And three fractured ribs. Had you not been suited up, you’d be dead."

Zhane took a minute or so to read through DECA's treatment plan, not surprised when he didn't get an answer. Sarcasm was wasted on Andros at the best of times.

When he finally looked up to harass his friend over the possibility of down-time, Zhane was met with a pair of expressive, warm eyes. Andros' pupil's were dilated to large black wells and he had a fond, dopey expression on his face. Zhane let out a dry chuckle at the ambient affection he was picking up, minus the ragged edge of pain he'd been subliminally ignoring. "Ah. DECA just administered the good stuff, didn't she?"

He reached over and keyed the lights a bit lower and Andros just nodded sloppily, sighing as the tension left his shoulders.

Zhane shook his head, grinning, and finished reading the treatment plan. "Hey, your stats indicate you didn't drink enough today to be out fighting in that heat," he observed matter of factly.

"M'kay…" Andros slurred.

Looking up, Zhane caught Andros drifting off, really fast. He cocked a glance skyward at the ceiling and carefully asked, "D.E.C.A., how much did you give him?"

"Enough to properly address discomfort during treatment, per patient mass." There was a pause. "And a unit more to assist him resting."

Zhane laughed, shaking his head. "DECA, You surprise me!" Sometimes he loved that AI. At moments like these, he realized she'd grown in the last few years too, and toward a motherly bent.

"Open a sterilization field, yeah?" He waited for the slight hum indicating the field was in place and carefully wiped down the skin around Andros' injury. Another time he might have taken a leisurely catalogue of all the ways Andros had changed in two years. Right now Zhane had more pressing concerns.

He checked the supply cabinet under the bed, glad the large tegument regenerator sheets were still stored there. Breaking the seal on one of the clear bandages, he elbow-nudged Andros' arm out of the way. "Hey Andros, if you're still with me, hold still, will you? I hate wasting these things and they're a pain in the ass to apply."

Andros mumbled something random back at him, already beyond taking direction. "DECA, remind me to draw on his face while he's out, and then take a vid-pic." Zhane caught the adhesive lip of the bandage on a spot of healthy skin under Andros' ribs and slowly applied it in one careful slide, sealing away the enormous burn.

Heaving a relieved sigh, Zhane surveyed his handiwork. While he'd always found it a little sad that he was as good at applying those as he was, he was always grateful for the skill. "It's in place, DECA. Set up the regeneration cycle."

A moment later DECA called out. "Estimated tegumentary regeneration cycle: Eight hours. Estimated time for sonic bone repair: Six hours. Estimated time to homeostasis, One point five hours."

Surprised, Zhane cocked a brow upward again, disposing of the bandage's broken seal. "One and a half hours for homeostasis?" That was unusually long.

"Andros is in Compensatory Stage shock," the AI explained simply.

"Son of a…" Right under his nose. And all for a girl who didn't need saving in the first place.

"I leave you alone for a couple of years and you become a reckless idiot in my absence." Zhane gently let Andros' hair loose from its tie, and raised the mattress temperature by 6 degrees. He gave his friend one last exasperated look, tucked the blanket higher and departed to give a report to the other Rangers

"Perhaps Andros is leading by your example," DECA offered blandly as Zhane walked the corridor to the Bridge.

Zhane scowled at the nearest camera. Maybe he wasn't as pleased with the DECA's personality developments after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one had some weird medical jargon. I used to work in the medical field and I blended that with some ideas about the direction futuristic wound treatment might take. If anyone feels the jargon throws you out of the story, let me know. Writers need to know that stuff and sometimes we fall too in love with our minutia to tell when we need to cut it out. 
> 
> I gave DECA a bit more of a personality. Sort of. I love AI's and I admit to having to resist the urge to take the idea further. I DID resist though. We'll see what I feel like doing with Alpha 6.


	3. Denial is a River on KO-35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andros' instinct to protect enacts a steep cost. 
> 
> Zhane participates in some angst, misdirected anger, transference, denial and a lot of meddling all while finally trying to express his misgivings about Andros' relationship needs. 
> 
> Ashley weathers Zhane like a boss, while avoiding her own misgivings.

**Chapter 2**

Zhane always figured that getting out of romantic entanglements was as easy as getting into them. But then he wasn't the kind to fall in love. Attraction, yes. The fevered itch all teenagers experienced when the right person smiled just the right way? Oh yeah. A couple of notorious times. But flowers and romantic gestures were a means to an end for him. He didn't do ' _true love_ '. And he worried that for someone like Andros, all the hormones went hand in hand with deep attachment. Despite his standoffish nature, once Andros let you in, you were <0i>in. 

Not that Zhane's perspective made him immune to ridiculous situations. A week prior he'd been caught off guard by the possibility of a clandestine romantic encounter with Astronema. Which just wasn't going to happen. Astronema was their enemy (attractive as she was in all that leather) and Zhane was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them. He wrote it off as too much time fighting, too little time doing any recreational… _relating_. And Astronema was definitely pretty--if in a tense, thin lipped way that kind of reminded him of Andros. Which was possibly the appeal. Since Zhane tried to be honest with himself every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Andros continued on a path of poor judgment of his own. Like a wary navigator watched nebula storms in the distance, Zhane found himself watching for the signs that Andros' weird dance of _something_ was turning into actual love. Just little things: the possessive doting Ashley persisted in, the way Andros kept a little too close for it to be quite casual. An awkward stumble that was eventually going to send Andros crashing headlong into a broken heart.

Problem was, Zhane could hardly just go up to Andros and say ' _Look, I get it. You imprinted on the first person to pay you any attention in two years that wasn't one of your enemies. But Ashley Hammond, cute as she is, isn't a long-term solution. After all that mental isolation, what you really need is an empathic connection while getting a good old fashioned leg up._ ' 

A time or two in their past, Zhane had let loose with his particular brand of wisdom and on the rare occasions his best friend hadn't just avoided him afterwards, the black eye had been spectacular. 

Zhane wasn't sure which he was looking forward to less, so he kept his observations to himself. For now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, Andros' memories of the incident would be oddly sharp. He would think back and remember in exacting detail the crowded street market on Vatru 4; the rich colors, the buzzing noise of a large crowd and the impressive array of smells, from various spices and food stalls to the exotic mix of alien bodies. He would recall the sounds of wonder from Ashley and the others. And the Eltaran snake-bird, suddenly free of its cage, beating it's giant, vibrant wings in their faces would be crystal clear.

Andros would also remember this; distracted by the multicolored creature and the sudden clamor of surprised onlookers, he'd almost missed the flutter of something dark across his senses and the overlapping flash of a blade from the corner of his vision. He acted without consciously thinking, intercepting the attacker who was gone before Andros really saw more than a glimpse of hooded cloak retreating into the crowd. 

His hand went to his waist, coming away wet, the red of his shirt not hiding the dark stain. But even then, Andros hadn't realized it was anything more than a shallow slice. Not until his knees weren't cooperating and he suddenly found himself on the ground, spitting a curse Zhane would have been proud of. Immediately Andros felt oddly flushed. Such a weird sensation. In the back of his mind, logic was screaming he should have been cold.

His awareness suddenly disappeared for a moment, and when Andros came back, he was sheltered in the warmth of someone's arms. He'd only ever had so many people in his life he trusted to invade his space, and so wasn't surprised to see Zhane's anxious face above him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they were younger, Zhane once found a code-locked book under Andros' bed. Thinking it was a diary, he immediately set out to crack the mechanism. Instead of Andros' private thoughts all laid out for Zhane to give him a friendly ribbing over, the pages were filled with awkward, stilted poetry, fraught with the brand of deep-seated angst Andros seemed to specialize in. One of the pages contained a verse that spoke about people like birds, and described them as destined to fly away eventually, leaving him behind because he wasn't strong enough to follow. 

Human minds were odd sometimes and Zhane thought it was the strangest memory to be evoked by the snake-bird's panicked flapping.

Then Andros decided to prove he was an idiot again, leaping in almost too fast to see, intercepting what turned out to be an attack. No one else had seen it coming. Zhane hadn't even sensed any hostility in the crowd. And while it could have been aimed at any of them, by chance it had been aimed at Ashley. 

All Zhane could think was that the Red Ranger armor would have easily deflected the blade. Then came the impotent rage that they should have been able to go for a day of sight-seeing without being Morphed!

Ashley must have realized the attack had been aimed at her, because she stood there, frozen in shock, her features the very picture of horrified guilt. And then Zhane was genuinely angry at Ashley too, right alongside Andros and his ridiculous valor. And their attacker. (It was a long list of possibilities, though his money was on Darkonda) All Zhane could do was swallow it down and steady Andros in his arms as he pressed hard over the wound and left the other Rangers to guard against any follow-up attacks until they could get to the ship.

The ultimate fate of tragic, star-crossed lovers came to mind again and as Andros' blood slipped between his fingers, Zhane was struck by the bitter certainty that his best friend was actually going to get himself killed over his stupid gallantry. 

This had to stop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're starting to wonder if you can handle this," Zhane told Ashley as he entered the Bridge. "And I think you should set him free."

Ashley pretended to be confused as she looked over her shoulder for a moment, before concentrating on the Command console. "I'm sorry. Come again?"

Three days had passed, and Zhane was tired. And annoyed. Probably not the best frame of mind for this. The Megaship was perched in orbit over the southern pole of Vatru's larger moon, to give Andros time to heal. The weapon had disappeared with their attacker and it had been laced with something unusual enough that DECA was having fits fighting whatever toxin had been on the blade. Andros was still tossing around in a fever. 

Zhane had contemplated putting Andros in cryo-sleep, going so far as to discuss it with DECA. But his friend would survive, even if recovering would be slow and unpleasant. Zhane had to admit the instinctual swell of unease at the idea of a cryogenic healing cycle had left him reluctant, even if it would have meant Andros healed without any suffering. 

Uncharacteristically, Ashley had yet to visit Andros beyond initially assuring herself he wasn't dying. She'd made sure to keep just a little too busy, every since. Zhane knew because he'd been with Andros most of those three days. 

Zhane would normally have left Ashley to work it out on her own. But this time he chose to meddle. Someone had to, for Andros' own good. (Because this wasn't about Zhane at all). Andros was still too naïve about relationships. Time had sharpened his friend's fighting skills, but it hadn't instilled one ounce of self preservation. So Zhane would meddle where he wasn't welcome and do his best friend this one favor.

"Set him free," Zhane repeated, not unkindly, stepping out of the doorway. He spared the moon on the main screen a glance before he approached Ashley. 

When she regarded him, Ashley's brow was furrowed in the kind of irritation only women could commutate--indignation tinged with that particular territorial edge. But Zhane could see through the challenging look. It was the Yellow Ranger he was looking at, but at the moment all he could see was a girl struggling between duty and the gratification of a storybook romance with an exotic young hero--not knowing what to do with the sudden consequences. He could have warned her that in comparison to the thrill of infatuation, guilt was the stronger motivation. 

Guilt was stronger than a lot of things. Andros' predicament was proof enough of that.

Something in his look made her turn away. Trailing one finger along a the helm, she sighed. "He's not…okay, is he." It's wasn't really a question.

Gently, he reached over and tapped a few keys on the helm's controls, bringing up the medical readings on Andros, not missing how Ashley averted her glance. 

"There's a saying on KO-35. 'Never cage a bird simply because he sits nicely on your finger.'" 

Ashley gave him a look that clearly said ' _Really?_ '. "Aren't Kerovans supposed to be more intuitive than that?" 

_We are_ , Zhane thought. He tapped the med-bay readout for emphasis. "Then you tell me what it is. Because it's not love." 

"It could be," Ashley insisted softly. "With enough time." She finally relented, though, and began to read, her brow tightening.

Zhane sighed, fatigue and empathy softening his tone. "You like him. A lot. Prickly as he can be, Andros has always been easy to care about," That truth carried more than he hoped Ashley could read. 

"But more importantly you like the _idea_ of him. And I get it. You wouldn't be the first person to confuse love and vanity."

Her head snapped up and to Ashley's credit, for a moment she looked like she wanted to slap him. Zhane was almost surprised she didn't. "I care about Andros!"

He held his hands up, surrendering the point. "Hey, No one doubts that, Ashley. Not at all. But Andros is a big knotted ball of what you Earth humans call ' _baggage_ '. And while the notion of fixing that might sound romantic, it's not the foundation for anything serious between you two" 

"And you think that's all this is?" Ashley's mix of hurt and indignation sent a twinge of shame through Zhane. 

"You all came to him right when he needed you most," he said as kindly as he could. "You filled a void and fought at his side," _When I couldn't._ "And you didn't let him run you off. I'll never be able to express how truly grateful I am to you for that. To all of you." 

"But…" This was the hard truth part. "Ashley, you're not equipped to be with him. And I think you know that instinctually." _Or else you'd be in the Medbay right now, instead of hiding on the Bridge._

"I'd prefer it if you stopped now, before you're too far under his skin not to wound him when you finally realize the novelty of being with him doesn't measure up to his burdens not going away just because you eventually get bored of them."

The look she gave him was eloquently scathing. "Zhane, has anyone ever told you you're..." she made a frustrated noise. "You can be an ass sometimes!" 

Her expression changed to pure exasperation. "Do you realize how shallow you just accused me of being?" 

Zhane rested his hip on the console, taking perverse pleasure in the fact that Andros hated when he did that. "Ashley, I don't want to insult you. But…" 

"Well, it's too late for that!" she interrupted. "What I want to know is why. You're usually…" Ashley gestured vaguely. "I don't know. More easygoing, I guess." 

"Look," Zhane said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just don't think you're a good match."

"Yeah," she insisted. "I get that. The question is why. I know about his sister. I know about KO-35. And I know about the fight where he nearly lost you. What I don't know is why any of that should keep us from being…together. Not that it's any of your business if we are."

Zhane chewed his lip for a moment. "Look, it's not you personally. Earth humans just aren't great matches for Kerovans."

Ashley stopped. She considered that for several moments before she frowned inquiringly. "I'm not sure what you mean?" 

Before Zhane could answer, she seemed to seize upon something, blushing darkly. "Wait. We're…built the same way. I…um... I checked."

Zhane laughed. "Ha! Someone has depths I underestimated! You peeked, didn't you?"

She gave him a flat glare. "No, Andros is really private." She blushed deeper at the implication. "What I mean... Uh! Don't give me that look. I asked DECA!"

He swallowed another laugh. He had to give credit where due. That showed ambition on her part. That begged a question he hadn't thought to ask. "While we're on the subject, you two haven't…"

"I repeat. How is that any of your business?" she folded her arms and glared. 

"It's not. I'm just being prurient," he grinned at her eye roll.

Finally having come around to the core of his objections, Zhane suddenly just wanted to leave. Maybe catch a shower and a meal before he went back to Andros' bedside. Regardless of why Ashley was avoiding the Medbay, Zhane really didn't want to hurt her further. He considered stopping right there and asking her to sit with Andros for a shift, instead. 

In the end, he sighed and scratched his jaw, absently noting he'd forgotten to get away long enough to shave that morning. "Look. Has Andros talked to you all about Kerovan psi abilities at all? Beyond the showy stuff like telekinesis?" Zhane suspected he knew the answer.

She shook her head, suddenly curious. "No. I mean, he said he had to study a long time to develop the ability."

Zhane laughed, shaking his head. Andros never lied about the predictable things. Or maybe, it wasn't a lie exactly, so much as he explained it in _Andros_ terms. His friend had always been possessed of more humility than anyone really needed. "He _has_ been studying a long time, I suppose. But only in that he's been able to do it since he was young. By the time Karone was taken, they were both already pretty skilled. But no. I'm talking about other abilities."

She gave him a confused look.

"Alright." He reached out a hand to her brow, pausing. "I need permission for this," Zhane warned her. "And...uh... If you could try not to mentally push, that would be great." 

Ashley gave him a wary look, but nodded. "Okay, I... Yes."

Zhane smiled for a moment. "Remember, don't be afraid." He touched her temple and inhaled, focusing. On the exhale he eased his consciousness forward. Zhane knew the moment she could feel him because her eyes went wide in wonder.

"That's you," Ashley exclaimed. 

Then Zhane felt a flush of brief panic and he withdrew fast, before she could accidentally push him out. She couldn't really hurt him, but he didn't need the headache anyway. 

"You can't read my mind, can you?" she asked.

Ah, there it was. The knee-jerk fear that psi-capable races could steal into your thoughts. "Nope. While I was reaching out to you, I could only feel surface emotion. Communicating with actual words, with complete thoughts... It's not as simple as you might think. Unless I know someone well--unless they form a kind of very deep bond with me, and unless they're also telepathic, I can't hear actual thoughts." 

He watched that sink in and was surprised when Ashley looked a little sad. "But that means... Andros and I could never?"

"No," he solemnly answered. "He could do just what I did. Touch your surface emotions and that's all. And you could feel him there if he did, just like you could feel me. And that's why I have reservations about the two of you."

She made a face. "what, because I can't do the things with my mind that he can?" 

"Ashley, I just told you Kerovan humans form special bonds. We can only share thoughts and communications between people who know each other really well. When there's a deep kind of trust. Like close friends, family.... Lovers."

She grew even pinker, but nodded. "But, it's alright if Andros and I can't do that. Earth humans are used to not having that."

"But Kerovans aren't. Moreover, for us it can be a pretty awful not to have that kind of mental closeness." Andros had never really gotten over losing Karone, and Zhane knew it was because breaking the bond that existed between twins was the kind of psychic wound that just didn't heal. 

"I honestly have no idea how Andros made it two years alone on the Megaship while I was fro.... asleep. But it really wasn't good for him not to have any close psi-connections anymore."

"Anymore?" She zeroed in on that and Zhane wasn't surprised. Ashley was sharp. "So, wait. You two can...." She looked uncomfortable. "I mean, I guess that's a really personal thing to ask."

"It's alright," he assured her. "But yeah. Of course. He's my best friend. We've been able to _talk_ for years." _We just haven't done much of it since I woke._

"But would it actually hurt him that we couldn't have that kind of connection Kerovans make?" 

He sighed in frustration. 

What he meant to say was that Kerovans needed bonds like that to be emotionally stable and whole. Andros specifically needed relationships that broke into the isolation he'd been forced to normalize. "It's just really... lonely for someone with psi abilities not to have a close bond in their life. Humans don't do isolation well. Psi-capable races have an even harder time. And two whole years alone... Ashley. Our race doesn't handle that kind of isolation. And I..." He gave her an apologetic shrug. "I guess I'm worried about him."

"And you think that me letting him go is the solution?" She gave Zhane a thoughtful look. "And what about you? You were isolated in cryogenic sleep for those two years. Weren't you?"

He paused. "That's different," Even though it probably wasn't, this was about Andros, not him. 

Ashley didn't look like she believed him. She laid a comforting hand on his arm and gently squeezed. "Maybe Andros isn't the only one missing that kind of bond."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me, folks. I love Ashley. And I hope I'm writing her worthy of her kindness as a character. She's really rather a stalwart girl when all is said and done. And despite her deserved irritation with Zhane, she's relieved to find out more about the Kerovan people and pretty quick to forgive.
> 
> And yes, Zhane is as big a ball of issues as Andros is. Just in a different way. Foremost, he's one of those odd sorts that doesn't mind sacrificing himself for his friends/family but can't really cope well with Andros participating in the same kind of selfless heroics.


End file.
